


The Incredible Shrinking Fox

by Bug_53



Series: The Zootlight Zone [2]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Drama, Gen, Science Fiction, Shrinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:54:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24496048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bug_53/pseuds/Bug_53
Summary: (THIS STORY IS TEMPORARILY ON HIATUS)After an unexpected tumble during a routine chase, Nick starts to experience something strange happening with his body. How will Judy react to these changes, how will Nick react to these changes and more importantly… what the heck is going on?!
Relationships: Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde
Series: The Zootlight Zone [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743073
Comments: 7
Kudos: 13





	The Incredible Shrinking Fox

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, I want to thank all my friends on the Zootopian Authors Association Discord server for all of their help and support, including Ark, Midlou, Vulperne, Spelter, Pandora, The Unaccomplished Writer, Matthew J. Howler and everyone else.
> 
> Way back in January, I commissioned Cimar/WildeHopps to write a oneshot story about Nick gradually shrinking ala The Incredible Shrinking Man. While I did enjoy how he handled the premise, I’ve since considered the idea of going back and trying my own hand at it, maybe expanding upon the idea. So, one I finished Hunger, I decided to give it a go. Cimar’s original oneshot will still remain on my profile for those who want to read it, but I’m making this new version my own. I hope you all enjoy it.
> 
> Thanks to la perlas mermaid for this story’s cover art.

__

_48 inches_

Nick and Judy didn’t have to chase suspects down too often. Many times the perp had enough sense to know that running would only make things worse for themselves, and thus it was better to just bite the bullet. Even then, in cases when one _did_ try to make a getaway, the bunny and fox officers were usually much quicker and agile enough that they could get the drop on their perp and it would all be over in seconds.

This was _not_ one of those cases.

This perp, a punk teenage rabbit with the speed of a track star, had the environmental advantage. The lower cliff faces of the Rainforest District were uneven in many places, making them difficult to tread with swift pace. The officers had to take great care to keep their footing on such treacherous landscape, and found themselves beginning to fall behind.

“You’d think with our training we would have caught him by now,” quipped Nick.

“I haven’t been around this area in a while. Cut me some slack!” retorted Judy.

They kept up the chase as best as they could but still struggled to make up much ground. Suddenly, Nick got an idea.

“You stay after him, Carrots,” he called out. “I’m gonna go up this way and try to head him off!”

Nick had gotten to know most of the city pretty well over the years. He knew where many of the ‘shortcuts’ were, and how to take advantage of them. Thus, he knew that if he cut through the forest that ran alongside the path they were on, he would soon come back out much further ahead on the same path. He could sprint right out and have the perfect standing point at which to subdue their runaway. It was a good plan, and likely would have worked… if Nick hadn’t forgotten the steep embankment just opposite the path where he was headed, or had thought to take into account the slipperiness of the damp soil he was treading on.

Too late to realize his blunder, the fox found himself slipping right past his perp, across the walkway, and before he knew it he was tumbling down the embankment and over a short cliff face before finally landing face first into a mushroom patch. The punk rabbit was so taken aback by this that he could only stop and peer over the edge where the fox officer and just slid by, wondering if he had actually just seen that happen. He was so busy trying to process this, he had completely forgotten about the _other_ officer, who now had just enough time to run right up and tackle him to the ground.

Nick groaned as he slowly pushed himself back up from the ground. He shook his head and glanced back up at where he’d fallen from. “Well, that was embarrassing,” he muttered. He looked down again and saw that he was surrounded by quite possibly the strangest looking mushrooms he had ever seen. They all had very large, round caps, all colored a deep purple with large pink polka-dots all over. There was something about their appearance that seemed rather off-putting to Nick, although he wasn’t quite sure what. But this was quickly forgotten once the rotten smell of the fungi found its way up his nostrils. Such a foul stench that was nigh intolerable to his sensitive nose, it was enough to make him begin coughing and wheezing violently.

“ _Augh, yeesh!_ ” he choked, covering his muzzle with both paws. “Smells like something _died_ in here!”

Nick couldn’t stand to be around these things for one more second. He rose to his feet and began to climb back up the embankment, coughing all the way.

When he finally reached the pathway agan, Judy had already cuffed their perp and was just getting him up off the ground. She looked at Nick and cringed as he approached.

“Cheese and crackers, Nick, you smell like a zombie or something!” she commented. “What happened?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” the tod wheezed. He let out a few more hard coughs, making Judy feel concerned.

“Nick, are you alright?” she asked.

Nick cleared his throat. “I’m fine, really,” he said. “Something in the air down there, I guess. Let’s just get back to HQ so I can wash up.”

* * *

_46 inches_

Over the following two weeks, the incident faded into the background, with Judy and Nick spending much of their off time moving into their new apartment. Having been practically spending all their time together for the last two years, the pair finally sold their shabby apartments and bought their own place together. It helped that neither of them had much of their own stuff to transfer in the first place.

Though neither of them owned a lot, there was still plenty of loading and unloading to do as, unlike their previous abodes, this new place did not come furnished. Undeterred, the pair managed to scrape together enough to buy the essentials. A pair of beds, furniture, a dining set, and a few other things they deemed necessary for the time being. One day however, as they were busily moving things around into their proper place, Nick couldn’t help but notice that his clothes seemed a bit loose. His slacks didn’t feel as secure as they should, and he was even starting to feel lost in his favored green Pawaiian shirt.

“Sheesh, this has never happened to me before,” he commented as he readjusted his shirt for the umpteenth time. “You think these got mixed up at the laundromat?”

“Doubt it,” Judy replied with a smirk. “You’re the only one with bad enough taste to wear _those_ ugly things.”

“Oh, you _slay_ me,” the fox snarked. “Well, if you’re so insightful, what do _you_ think’s going on then?”

Judy looked Nick over for a moment, propping her head on one paw. She looked thoughtful. “Hmm… Well, it _has_ been kind of a busy couple of weeks,” she said at last. “Maybe you lost a bit of weight?”

Nick looked down. “I guess that makes sense.” He turned back to the bunny. “Say, didn’t we get a bathroom scale?”

Judy nodded. “Mhm, it’s right back there.”

Nick ambled down the hallway to the bathroom, and found the small scale sitting on the floor. He stepped on it and watched as it powered on and began calculating. As it did, Judy followed him and stood in the doorway.

Nick cocked his head as the numbers finally stopped. “Huh,” he remarked. “Seventy-four. Guess I _have_ dropped some.” He stepped off the scale and looked at Judy. “Six pounds, though. Doesn’t that seem like a bit much to you?”

The doe just smiled. “I wouldn’t worry, Slick,” she said. “You know, plenty of mammals would be happy to lose a little weight.”

Nick returned a smile of his own. “Hey, maybe we could start our own program together?” he joked. “Maybe a series of workout videos?”

Judy rolled her eyes and walked away. “Oh, _please,_ ” she snorted. “Don’t make me laugh.”

Nick stayed behind for a minute longer. He looked in the mirror, at himself and his still a bit loose shirt. His face slowly fell as he pondered. Six pounds in two weeks? Without even noticing at that? Was that normal? Should he be concerned?

The tod shook his head. _Nah, Carrots is right,_ he thought. _It’s probably nothing to worry about._

He began walking back out again, but paused as he reached the doorway.

_Still… Maybe I should start keeping a closer eye on myself, just to be safe._

* * *

_42 inches_

It had been a few weeks since Judy and Nick had finished moving into their new apartment, and the two had gradually adjusted to the new routine. All the while however, Nick stepped on the scale and, every time, his weight dropped a little more. He’d attempted to remedy this by increasing his food intake a bit, and even started taking a daily supplement, but it all did little good.

This morning, he was putting on his uniform as per usual. Twice already he had it taken in just to keep it from slipping off every time he let himself relax. Yet, even so, he found it becoming looser and looser with each passing day. He looked at himself in the full-body mirror on his closet door. The shirt almost draped down to his knees, and the cuffs on his pants dragged to the floor, nearly swallowing his feet.

Shaking his head, he did up the buttons on the shirt. Even with the collar buttoned, there was still a noticeable amount of open space around his neck, where he could vividly recall it feeling quite snug in the past. He ran his fingers around the inner collar and found it uncomfortably loose. He pulled it to one side, and his eyes widened as his shoulder popped through the opening as well.

Something wasn’t right here.

He walked out the bedroom door and into the hallway. “Carrots?”

Judy, as usual, had already gotten her own uniform and gear on before him and was just making her last preparations before heading out. She turned to face Nick as he called out to her. “Yes?”

Nick stood up straight and gestured to his baggy uniform. “Would ya believe it?”

Judy’s brow furrowed. “ _Again?_ ” she exclaimed, strolling up to him. “How does that keep happening? You’ve been taking that supplement, haven’t you?”

“Every day,” Nick answered, looking over himself again.

“And you’ve been eating as much as you always have, right?” Judy asked.

“If not more,” the fox sighed. “I don’t get it, Fluff. I’ve lost fifteen pounds in two months. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Judy pondered. “Maybe it’s muscle loss or something? We haven’t been to the gym in a while.”

Nick shook his head. “I don’t think that’s it,” he said. He looked at his partner. “At least, I don’t think it would be nearly enough to-”

Nick stopped himself short as he suddenly noticed something. He stared Judy in the face, wide-eyed. The bunny looked puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

Nick slowly looked Judy over, head to toe. “…Carrots, how tall are you?”

“…What?”

“Just tell me. How tall are you?” the tod urged.

The doe shrugged. “Uhh, two foot six, last I checked. Why?”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Could you stand up straight, just for a minute?”

Judy didn’t quite understand where this was going, but she did as asked. She stood as straight and still as she could, her feet flat on the floor.

Nick stepped closer, until the two were standing shoulder to shoulder. “Put your ears down,” Nick said, and the doe complied. He leaned in forward just slightly, placing his paws on Judy’s shoulders to hold her steady. After a moment of this, Nick’s ears sagged.

“Your head is touching my chin…”

“Huh?”

Nick pulled back again, still holding her shoulders, his face fraught with worry. “Your head is up to my _chin,_ ” he repeated. “Before it always only reached my chest!”

Judy’s eyes narrowed. “Well maybe you should try again _without_ slouching,” she snarked.

The fox let go of her. “I _wasn’t_ slouching.”

“Nick. Quit playing around,” Judy said. “I’m worried enough about the weight loss issue.”

“I’m not playing, I swear!” Nick insisted. “Look at me, I’m standing straight!”

Judy looked him over. He did appear to be telling the truth. She cocked her head sideways, but didn’t say anything.

“Judy,” Nick said earnestly, “this is gonna sound crazy, but… I think I may be getting smaller.”

The doe took a moment to absorb this theory, then shook her head. “Nick, that’s ridiculous. Animals don’t get _smaller._ It just doesn’t happen!”

Nick still looked concerned. “I don’t know, Fluff. There’s always a first.”

Judy looked him in the eye. She could tell he genuinely believed what he was saying, and was very worried over it. But to think he might be _shrinking?_ That was just plain silly. There’s no way it could be true… right?

“Tell you what,” she said. “If I measure you right now, and it all seems to check out, will that make you feel better?”

“If it means getting an answer,” Nick said.

Judy smiled. “Okay, wait here.”

The doe left the room for a few moments, then returned with a long strip of measuring tape and a footstool to stand on. She had Nick stand up straight against the wall, and carefully lined the tape up level with the tod’s body. Once she was sure she had it right, she placed her thumb to mark the line at the very top of Nick’s head.

“Alright,” she said, stepping back down onto the floor. “You said you’re four feet tall, right?”

“Mhm. Right on the nose.”

Judy smiled again, then looked at the tape. “Okay, and according to my measurement, you are indeed exactly-” Her face fell immediately. She brought the tape closer, baffled at what she was seeing. This was not helping ease Nick’s worry.

“Judy, what does it say?” he demanded.

Judy kept looking at the tape. She shook her head. “This… this can’t be right,” she murmured.

Nick couldn’t stand it any longer. He went up alongside her and looked down at the measuring tape for himself. Upon seeing where her thumb had marked his height, his jaw dropped.

…Three foot six.


End file.
